Winery Visits

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Walla Walla is an awesome wine experience. The town is a quaint sexy little town that oozes charm and you can either experience the downtown walking wine tasting scene or if you prefer you can explore the vineyards and grand tasting rooms around town. People assume since I am in the wine business that I get out and go wine tasting all the time. Actually it is quite the opposite. This was my first visit to Walla Walla since before Nectar Tasting Room opened in 2010. My last visit I had the opportunity to taste quite a bit and tour […]

The rolling hills and wheat fields covered in a layer of white, the drive from Spokane to Pullman is as beautiful as it is peaceful. Just 90 minutes from Spokane, Washington State University and University of Idaho dominate the landscape of this twin town of 50,000. With college enrollment of 18,000 at WSU and 11,000 at UofI, this is a region defined by young aspiring students. Conversations of Snookie and Coors Light are more likely to be found than sips of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet. On this journey we explore the wineries of the Palouse. Merry Cellars Merry Cellars has […]

A few months back I had the opportunity to explore some of the wineries of the Columbia Gorge as part of a paid familiarization trip. In a previous post I talked about the experience at Maryhill Winery, located about 100 miles East of Portland OR on the Washington side of the Columbia River. Maryhill Winery has set itself up as a premier value with a view winery. I was impressed with the consistency of the wine and sipping on a patio overlooking the Gorge is an awesome experience. What about the rest of the trip? Enter the Wine Matrix Blown […]

I recently had the privilege of visiting Maryhill Winery as part of a press familiarization trip. As I sift back through my notes to re-live the adventure, two thoughts come to mind. This is an awesome place to visit. The wines are an amazing quality to price ratio (QPR)…all 29 of them. Founded in 1999, Maryhill Winery has grown to 80,000 cases making it the 15th largest winery in the state and one of the largest family owned wineries. Craig and Vicki Leuthold, from Spokane, WA are passionately involved in every step of the journey. Situated on the Washington side […]

Lederhosen, beer festivals, a Swiss Alps village, and wine tasting. Is Leavenworth Bavarian for wine? From a logging and rail town on the brink of extinction to a town that boasts over a million visitors a year, Leavenworth is the example of how hard work and determination can lead to a renewed direction. In the 1960’s Leavenworth was a town struggling to survive until the town residents made the collective decision to brand their area as a Bavarian village. Armed with determination and their own funds, Leavenworth residents transformed the dying town into a thriving tourist spot. Now, people of […]